Fusion

TL: Furby
ED: DannY

“Ngh… Ugh…”

Mushiki woke up, finding himself on top of a bed with a luxurious dome atop of it.

After blinking a few times, he then proceeded to turn and look at his surroundings.

It was a spacious room. There were antique-looking shelves and closets lining up the walls, and next to the pillows was a stylish lamp illuminating the place. The high-quality carpet that had been laid on the floor shined so brightly with the light that filtered through the gaps in the curtains, marking a clear distinction with the rest of the floor.

A glorious awakening in this nifty bedroom. It all gave off such an elegant sensation.

If there was any one problem with it— It would be that he had no remembrance of ever seeing any of the things that lay in front of his eyes.

“This place is…”

A whisper escaped his lips. Perhaps from having only woken up, there was a slight ringing in his ears, making it difficult for him to even hear his own voice.

As a question mark appeared above his head, Mushiki started to think back on what had happened.

—He is Kuga Mushiki. He is 17 years old. He’s a high school student living in the city of Oujou, in the area of Tokyo. He still remembers that.

His last memory before falling into a slumber was… The road back home.

That’s right. He was in the middle of going back to his home from school. For him to suddenly wake up in this place, it means that something must have happened during that time.

… Was he abducted by someone? Was he run over by a car and is now in heaven? Did he spend a night with a woman who had drunk too much alcohol and happened to pass by?… None of them seemed very plausible.
{ED/N: Spending a night with a drunk woman; KEK!}

Which means that, maybe, he was still dreaming?

With his consciousness still only half-awoken, Mushiki tried pinching his own cheek. He didn’t really feel any pain from it, but as to whether this came from it truly being a dream or because he couldn’t properly put strength into his fingers, Mushiki could not accurately discern.

Whatever the case, there wasn’t much he could do about it by staying as he was.

Mushiki got up from the bed, slid on the slippers that were laid beside the bed, and without doing anything else, with an unsteady gait he walked to the door, opened it, and left the room.

Then—

“Eh…?”

Unintentionally, Mushiki found himself staring in amazement at what happened before him.

The instant he crossed through the bedroom’s door, almost as if he had teleported, the scenery surrounding Mushiki completely transformed itself.

In the heavens, there was the sun and clear blue skies. In the ground, there was a straight paved road that extended forward. There were fountains and trees on the roadside, spread in intervals so sparse that you felt they had been inserted in the least possible amount, only to give nature a role in this. And at the end of that road, stood solemnly, like the throne upon which a king seats, a building so splendorous and magnificent.

Its aspect was utterly different to that with which Mushiki was familiar, yet, something of it vaguely gave off the appearance of a school’s facilities.

Mushiki was perplexed at the sudden occurrences and looked behind him.

But there was not a shadow or trace of the bedroom in which Mushiki had been until just a moment ago.

Unable to understand what was happening, Mushiki put a hand to his head as he staggered.

“… Then this must really be a dream?”

However, it seemed he could not continue to fret his mind over this any longer.

The reason for this is simple. Unlike in the room he was in before, there were people here and there in this place.

One can imagine them to be students. All boys and girls donned matching uniforms as they continued their march towards the large building in the road ahead of them.

Then, a few from among those people, perhaps startled by Mushiki’s sudden appearance, stopped in their tracks and stared in awe.

“A—”

That’s only too natural. The normal reaction to some person appearing all of a sudden out of thin air is to be surprised. …Well, the one most shocked about it is, without a doubt, the very Mushiki himself.

Anyhow, right now he must explain that he is not someone suspicious, and while doing so, try to extract information about what exactly is this place.

Mushiki turned to look at the female student who was closest to him.

“Excuse me—”

However, without listening to Mushiki’s words until the end.

“—Good morning, Witch-sama.”

The girl gave a most reverent curtsy and greeted as such.

“…Eh?”

He stared in shock at the unexpected reaction.

Afterwards, all the other students who were in the surroundings, even if they were slightly afar, each bowed and gave their salutations in turn.

“Good morning.”

“Pleased to greet you, Witch-sama.”

“You are as beautiful as always.”

“…?”

In response to the students’ words, Mushiki remained frozen in place, staring at the empty space.

Nay, not only that. Even a man in the prime of his life, who appeared to be a teacher and had been behind him came over.

“Good evening, Miss Headmistress.”

He greeted him with politeness.

—Witch-sama.

—Miss Headmistress.

Hearing the words, with which he was not familiar with, directed at him, Mushiki tilted his head to the side in even greater confusion.

At the very least, in all his life till now, he had never once been called as such.

Moreover, neither of them were denominations which you would normally associate with a male high school student like Mushiki.

“…Hm?”

At that moment.

In the midst of his bewilderment, without any particular reason, he looked down at his own body—And Mushiki finally noticed.

He could not see his own feet.

If one wants it more precisely, there was an object in between his eyes and feet which was obstructing his view.

“What’s… This?”

His chest was endowed with two big and unfamiliar masses.

After a while of pondering about it, Mushiki slowly raised both his hands to touch those mysterious masses.

“Hm… Ngh!?”

Instantly, a soft sensation was transmitted across his hands.

Simultaneously, a slight but sweet stimulation arose in his chest.

“Th-these are…”

Clearly, they were not for show only.

 These soft mounds were sprouting directly from Mushiki’s body.

Actually, the hands and fingers that were touching them were slender and more whitish than how Mushiki remembered them.

“…”

Putting together all the bits of information, Mushiki sprinted from that place.

He arrived at the fountain erected in the center of the road and looked at the water’s surface.

And seeing the face reflected there, ‘his own face’, Mushiki was left speechless.

That was to be expected. What was reflected there was not the face of the male high schooler he was so familiar with—

It was the countenance of a beautiful woman bestowed with long hair and bright, iridescent eyes. 

“—”

That’s right. There was no mistake about it. There’s no way he could possibly mistake it.

Mushiki had become a girl.

Putting it mildly, it doesn’t make any sense. Ever since he woke up a little while ago, mysterious things have been happening one after another, but this was in a league of its own. Even for a dream, this goes beyond the realm of preposterous.

That said—If we are to be more precise about it.

The reason for Mushiki’s loss of words was not limited to only because he became a girl.

It was a simple, more romantic, and more absurd reason.

Mushiki had, just like it’s told in the Greek myth of Narcissus, fallen in love with ‘his own’ reflection in the water.

Not fully aware of it himself, he touched his own cheek.

He heard his heart beating; he felt his own heartbeat increase in intensity and speed.

The information that was passed over to his brain through his eyes threatened to trample his mind.

It was a feeling, so unbelievable, indescribably dreadful and—incredibly sweet. stopping here

Her visage was undeniably beautiful. A big and wide pair of eyes. A well-shaped nose. Glossy full lips. All of them in such a perfectly balanced distribution it seemed a miracle. It would be no exaggeration to say that it’s the sublimation of art itself.

And yet, that was not all there was to it.

That alone could not hope to explain such a sensational reaction.

Aaah, he can now understand. These mysterious intense emotions allowed Mushiki to be convinced.

—There’s no doubt about it. It was to describe this torrent of inexplicable emotions that our ancestors created the word ‘love’.

“You’re… No, I’m…?”

Mushiki whispered in awe, and then, he stopped and held his breath.

The instant he saw that face, almost as if they had been waiting for this opportunity, his lost memories came back.

That’s right. He already knew this girl.

Why had he forgotten that? Mushiki had met her immediately before he lost consciousness.

With this girl who had a flower of blood blossoming on her chest—

“—So this is where you had been.”

A voice like that of a small bell ringing called out to him from behind him.

Hearing that voice, Mushiki lifted his face with a start.

“Eh…?”

He turned to look behind him and found a single girl who had been standing there from who knows when.

It was a girl with short black hair pulled into a bun and who was wearing black clothes. The two eyes gazing at Mushiki too were shining a deep black, almost like two obsidians. 

“…You mean, me?”

Mushiki speaks as he points to himself, and, though the girl doesn’t change her expression, as if having realized something, she continues to speak.

“My apologies. Your memories have yet to be fully shared, correct? You must have been under a lot of pressure.
—I am Karasuma Kuroe. I work as the chamberlain of the person you have currently become. In case the worst situation comes to happen, I have already received instructions on how to proceed.”

She finished speaking and bowed with great respect.

Mushiki hurriedly corrected his stance to look properly at her.

“…! Do you know something about this? Please tell me. Just who is this girl!?”

In response to Mushiki’s question, the girl who introduced herself as Kuroe gave a small nod and then answered.

“That lady’s name is Kuozaki Saika. —She is the strongest magician in the world.”

“Wha—”

Mushiki reflexively opened his eyes wide at the shocking revelation.

Then, as a direct result of the strong urge that arose from his chest, some words escaped his lips.

“What…a beautiful name—”

“……, Huh?”

“Eh?”

Kuroe and Mushiki, each with a confused face, tilted their heads at each other.

Around 20 minutes after their meeting in front of the fountain.

Mushiki had followed after Kuroe and they had moved over to the huge building erected at the end of the road—the central school building.

They were at the topmost floor, inside a room that had the words ‘Headmaster’s Office’ written on the door. Though the room was spacious and modeled after a modern style, the books with the ancient-looking covers that were packed into the bookshelf lining up one of the walls and the old furniture that was scattered over the area gave it the impression of a room with a blend of styles.

It was in this area in which Mushiki was explaining the events that had transpired while—

 For some reason, Kuroe, who had made him sit in front of the full-length mirror, was carefully combing his hair.

In her words, she would not be able to forgive herself if she let him walk outside with his hair disheveled from having just woken up.

“—I understand. On your way back from school, you somehow wandered into a strange space where you met with Saika-sama all covered in blood. Then, you were assaulted by some unknown person, you lost consciousness, and the next thing you remember is being here.”

Kuroe repeated Mushiki’s words, to which Mushiki answered with a single ‘Yes’.

“Could you tell me in more detail about what you mean by a ‘strange space’?” 

“Erm… How should I describe it? There were many tall buildings lined up and the whole place felt like it was meant to be a labyrinth…”

As Mushiki gestured and explained, Kuroe frowned slightly.

“… A fourth manifestation—so it really was a magician… But, someone capable of creating a space like that…”

“Eh?”

“It’s nothing. Thank you very much. I now have an overall understanding of your situation.”

Kuroe shook her head in a gesture to say it wasn’t important. She then laid the comb in her hand on top of the table and tied Mushiki’s hair with a frilly ribbon. 

The girl reflected on the full-length mirror had just risen to greater heights. Entranced, Mushiki let out a sigh.

“How lovely… It almost doesn’t even feel like it’s me…”

“Practically speaking, that is the truth.”

“Aah, you’re right about that.”

Mushiki turned around the chair upon which he sat and turned to face Kuroe.

“Then… Kuroe-san?”

“Kuroe alone is fine. I cannot help the weird feeling that comes from hearing my name addressed with a ‘san’ from that face.”

“…”

Despite feeling slightly nervous about this master-servant relation, Mushiki continued.

“So, erm, Kuroe. I have some things I want to ask about too…”

“Yes. It is normal to be confused. Please feel free to ask whatever you like. I shall answer as long as it is within my capabilities to do so.”

Kuroe urges Mushiki to ask his questions with a nod.

Mushiki takes her offer kindly and proceeds.

“This girl… she’s called Saika-san, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, what kind of men does Saika-san like…?”

“… Excuse me?”

In response to Mushiki bashfully inquiring, Kuroe tilts her head with a blank expression.

“Ah, did I ask something too personal as a first question? Then, how about the kind of food she likes most…?”

“No, that was not the case.”

Kuroe straightens her posture back and, while staring straight at Mushiki, continues.

“Is that the first thing you would like to ask? What I mean is, I believe there should be other points of interest.”

“Well, that may be so… But, is it okay for me to… ask about them? Aren’t those, kind of like, a secret…?”

“Why are you showing this much restraint under these circumstances? I would rather you asked. It is my wish to help you understand the situation in which you are in first.”

“I-in that case, that’s what I’ll do…”

Mushiki clears his throat once and, with cheeks slightly flushed, voices his question.

“Then, about Saika-san’s three sizes…”

“That is not what I am talking about.”

Kuroe flatly interrupts Mushiki’s question.

“Eh, are you an idiot? Or is it that you are only fooling around with me, Saika-sama? There should be many other things to ask about, for example, ‘Where is this?’ or ‘How is it that I’ve become Saika-sama?’.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true. Please give me a clear explanation about this! Just what in hell is going on here!?”

“…”

Seeing Mushiki ask earnestly, Kuroe frowned a bit and proceeded to speak.

“I shall explain in order. —As I had stated before, the person whose body you have is Kuozaki Saika-sama. She is the world’s strongest magician and the leader of the magician training institution, the ‘Void’s Garden’.”

“Yes. No matter how many times I listen to it, that is a verylovely name…”

“… I would have preferred for you to be piqued by the term ‘magician’ instead.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

As she had just said, that is indeed a most intriguing vocabulary. Mushiki honestly apologizes.

“When you say magician… Do you mean those that recite a spell and then shoot out water from their hands or heal their allies?”

“Though the image may be quite abstract and a few generations old, you are correct.”

“Are you really telling me they exist?”

“Is there not an incident which you cannot explain with common knowledge happening on your body presently?”

“… You’re right, that is indeed true.”

Mushiki gave a small nod in response to Kuroe’s retort. As they say, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.

It’s exactly as she said, if you didn’t accept magic, there would be no way to explain the fact that Mushiki has been transformed into the girl named Saika.

“I am certain that you have your own doubts about this but, for the moment, I ask that you listen to this under the assumption that magic exists.”

“Understood… Then, just what is happening with my body?”

After Mushiki asked in a docile manner, Kuroe raised one finger of her hand, pressed it firmly against Mushiki’s chest, and without taking her finger off it, she continued.

“I shall start with the conclusion—At this moment, you and Saika-sama are in a state where your bodies have combined into one.”

“Wha… But, then…!”

“I understand it is difficult not to be flummoxed at this, but I implore of you to calm do—”

“Isn’t that something you do after you have properly married each other…!?”

Kuroe half-closed her eyes and then looked at him as if she were seeing some filthy thing.

“Even if you are in Saika-sama’s body, I will knock some sense into you.”

“I’m sorry. It was such a stimulating word that I couldn’t help myself…”
{ED/N: This guy is horny af}

Seeing Mushiki apologetically shrink himself, Kuroe recovered her composure and continued explaining.

“Mushiki-san, correct? According to what you told me, last night, Saika-sama was severely injured and collapsed on the ground. Based on the situation, it would be the natural course to infer that she was attacked by some person.”

“Yes… Do you have any guesses as to who the aggressor is?”

“None.”

“You mean there’s no one who had a grudge against her?”

“No, I think she has had as many people with a grudge against her as there are stars in the sky.”

“…”

Hearing Kuroe declare so distinctly that fact, Mushiki started to have cold sweat run down his face.

‘However’, began Kuroe.

“—Someone capable of killing Kuosaki Saika, the Brilliant Color Witch, the world’s strongest magician… There should not be anyone in this world like that.”

“—”

Mushiki couldn’t help holding his breath at the calm yet resolute words.

“My apologies. Let us continue.”

She must have noticed Mushiki’s state. After a light cough, Kuroe speaks.

“I dare say that—The person who attacked Saika-sama and the person who attacked you are one and the same.”

“Yes… I think so too.”

Mushiki goes back to that time.

That merciless single strike that impaled Mushiki as he ran over towards the blood drenched Saika.

 Though he may not have been able to see the criminal’s face, Mushiki did notice. The wound that was made in his body was extremely similar to that of Saika’s.

“And hence we had both Saika-sama and Mushiki-san on the verge of death. If things went on as they were, both of you would end up dead—That’s when Saika-sama, using the last of her strength, activated her last magic.”

“Last magic… And, what was it?”

In response to Mushiki’s question, Kuroe raised her right and left index fingers, and slowly brought them together until they touched.

“The fusion spell. It’s a simple addition. Left alone, both of you would eventually die. In that case, it would be better to let at least one of you stay alive.

0.5 + 0.5 = 1.

—Saika-sama fused herself, who was on the brink of death, and you, who was on the brink of death as well, into a single life, therefore allowing that life to extend its lifetime.”

“Fusion—”

Kuroe’s words reverberated.

Mushiki, while unaware, touched his own—whether saying this is correct or not is not yet determined—cheek with his hand as he spoke in a shocked voice.

“Yes. It is because of that that I chose to concisely explain it as ‘combined’.”

“… Despite you saying that there’s not a single trace of me in sight…”

“I do not know whether it was a result of the injury on Saika-sama’s body being less severe or if it had to do with the amount of magical energy present inside your body… However, it would seem Saika-sama’s body is acting as the base.”

Having said that, please do not fret. This does not mean that your body has been absorbed and lost forever. This simply means that the parts of you that were fused are in a hidden state. I am most certain that your body is presently supporting the injured body of Saika-sama.”

“Eh? That—”

“I am aware that this must come as a shock to you, but please listen until the en—”

“Is it okay for me to have that honour..?”

“Would you be so kind as to stop making me look like an idiot for being even the slightest bit considerate of you?”

Kuroe sent a piercing gaze at Mushiki. While Mushiki did think that she was being a little unreasonable, he still apologized sincerely.

“… Truthfully, from what I have seen, that body is Saika-sama’s very own. However–the mind, the consciousness, is Mushiki-san’s itself, correct?”

“Ah…”

Hearing that, Mushiki froze in place.

After all, that is precisely how it is.

If we suppose that Mushiki and Saika’s consciousness were swapped—then it would mean, somewhere in this world, there is a person who has Mushiki’s body and Saika’s mind.

If we instead suppose that Mushiki’s body transformed into Saika’s—then that means that the normal Saika is in some other place.

However, if as Kuroe said, Mushiki and Saika, who were both on the verge of death, are now supporting each other’s lives and have fused into a single person in order to extend their livespans, then there is one thing that they should have.

“Saika-san’s consciousness… Her soul, where did it go…?”

Mushiki asked with a trembling voice, to which Kuroe, after a short while of silence, slowly shook her head sideways.

“I do not know. Whether she is sleeping somewhere deep in your body. Whether she became a wandering spirit and is drifting in some place. Or maybe—”

Kuroe did not continue to voice that thought.

Perhaps, despite it being one possibility, she was hesitating as to whether to put it in words or not. Mushiki too could not press her to go any further than that.

“… Anyhow, we should now talk about what we will do from now on. —This is an extraordinary situation. It would be no exaggeration that it’s the greatest crisis the world has seen.”

Kuroe spoke with a grim expression on her face.

Mushiki tilted his head after hearing those grave-sounding words.

“The world…? I mean, yeah, losing a bishoujo of the level of Saika-san is nothing less than a great loss for the world as a whole but…”

Then.

“… Eh?”

Just when Mushiki was in the middle of speaking, an alarm-like sound reverberated throughout the school building.

At the same moment, a girl’s lazy voice came from the speakers.

(—Knight Erulka Flaera informing. We have confirmed the development of a destruction factor. The rank is estimated between calamity rank and Warfare rank. Time for reversible annihilation is 2 to 4 hours. Knight Enviette Svarner is appointed to handle it. Everyone, please remain on guard at all times.)

“…? What was up with that announcement?”

“—Hmm”

Kuroe rested her chin on her hand for a few moments, and then lifted her face.

“This is a good opportunity. Let us go outside. —I shall show you what the backside of the world is like.”

Mushiki left the headmaster’s office and continued to follow after Kuroe, who brought him before the central school building’s rooftop.

Also, while they were in the Headmaster’s office, Mushiki was made to change footwear, from the slippers he had slid onto proper shoes. Although the heel was relatively short, due to being unused to them, Mushiki’s gait was a bit unstable.

“Follow me this way. Please be careful of the step that is located here.”

Kuroe extended her hand and offered it to Mushiki after speaking. With a short ‘Thanks’, Mushiki took Kuroe’s hand and with a slightly longer stride stepped into the outside.

“—This is…”

Mushiki walked to the edge of the rooftop, where a high fence was erected, and as he held down his hair from fluttering with the strong winds, he turned his gaze at the scene unfolding below and spoke in a low voice.

He could appreciate the whole uninterrupted view that he couldn’t do so while on the ground.

The wide school grounds that encompassed not only the school building, but also a number of other facilities that surround it. Also, there was a tall wall enclosing it, on the other side of which extended the sight of a city.

“Ah… So there is a normal city just outside the school.”

“Yes. It makes me wonder; just where did you think we were?”

“That, well… Because we were speaking of things like magic, I was certain that I had been transported to another world.”

“We have always lived in the back side of the world; it is simply that you didn’t know it. This ‘Void’s Garden’ is located in what you call the Western Oujou of Oujou City.”

“It’s a lot closer than I thought it to be… But as far as I remember, there weren’t any structures like these there…”

“That is because we have a perception blocker laid out, which makes it impossible for people from the outside to be aware of this place. —Now, I would like to ask you to focus your attention above us rather than below.”

“Eh?”

Obeying Kuroe’s words, Mushiki turned his head towards the sky.

It was at that precise moment.

—In the skies with scattered clouds floating peacefully, ‘that’ made its entrance.

“…? What is… that?”

‘That’ was a claw.

A giant claw had appeared from the empty skies.

No, empty wasn’t the most appropriate description for it…

More properly said, the space surrounding that claw had a fissure running through it, almost as if the skies had been cracked there.

Moreover, that fissure was gradually growing bigger…

The next instant, as if to rip apart the skies, a towering giant shadow came out from it.

“Wha…”

Mushiki’s eyes opened wide at the sight.

A giant body covered in tough skin. Hands and feet equipped with many claws. Two horns that stretched from their head and one pair of wings sprouting from their backs.

That appearance was like that of the dinosaurs from ancient times—or maybe it was as if a monster from the world of the movies had jumped out to ours.

“—Destruction factor Number 206: ‘Dragon’.”

As if in response to Mushiki’s thoughts, Kuroe spoke their name.

“It has a tough and resilient body and vital energy, making it immune to any half-hearted attacks. The flames that it spews from its mouth could change the whole of Japan’s surface into a sea of flames if given a few days. It has relatively many concrete manifestations of ‘destruction’ in it, no?”

Kuroe continued in a matter-of-factly manner. 

And then, as if to match the explanation, the dragon roared before it then proceeded to expel a violent torrent of smoldering flames from its mouth.

“Wha…!?”

The skies burned a scorching red. Despite the considerable distance to them, Mushiki could still feel his skin smoldering from the fierce flames. Even keeping his eyes open became a challenge from the burning atmosphere.

A majestic breath of flames, reminiscent of the legends of old.

If directly exposed to them, people, fields, cities; just what would happen to them?

The answer to that despairing question was immediately revealed before Mushiki’s eyes.

“…!”

The scenery that stood below him was enveloped in flames in an instant.

The city landscape he was used to seeing, the world in which he was living just yesterday, underwent a complete transformation in the blink of an eye.

Following the road, the flames engulfed everything they found in their path, painting it in black and red hues. 

Cries. Alarms. Victims. The pandemonium made up of a mishmash of them all resounded in the vicinity.

At the all too sudden scene of destruction, Mushiki’s mind could not follow with the events and all he could do was stand watching in shock.

“Wha… Eh…”

After a few moments, his brain finally broke out of its stupor and started to process the situation. It then gave orders to his frozen arms and legs.

In one sudden motion, he grabbed Kuroe’s shoulders in desperation.

“Kuroe! This is a huge problem! The city is!”

“Even if you do not mention it, I can see it. Please calm down, Mushiki-san.”

“How am I supposed to calm down seeing this!? Rather, how is it that you can remain so calm, Kuroe!?”

“Because the situation will not get any better from us getting flustered. Not to mention that…”

While being violently shaken from her shoulders, Kuroe pointed to the skies.

“If you do not pay close attention, you will end up missing it.”

“…Eh?”

Following Kuroe’s pointing finger, Mushiki turned his gaze higher into the skies.

And at the very moment he did so,

“—Yyyyyy—yahhhooooo—!!”

Together with that yell, a small shadow jumped off from the ground with the speed of a bullet.

Flying in a straight line, the shadow reached the dragon, and, with a fierce lightning, it sent that large body flying across the skies.

“Wha…”

The dragon’s deafening roar made the air itself tremble.

Yet that roar was not one of a beast that has found its prey and makes its own presence known, nor was it one that looks to threaten an enemy. If anything, it felt like it was a scream of agony, born from not being able to tolerate anymore some extraordinary pain.

“Heh, you’re one noisy bastard, lizard…”

The human shadow that had sent the dragon flying spread its arms wide.

In doing so, the small satellite-looking things that floated around them increased their radiance in response.

The next instant.

Just as an explosion similar to that of a lightning strike resounds, the sky is engulfed in a blinding light.

Mushiki instinctively covered his eyes from the dazzling flash of light.

“…Ngh!”

By the time that Mushiki opened his eyes again, the dragon’s colossal body had disappeared without a trace.

“Th-that was…”

“That is Knight Enviette Svarner. One of the corners of the ‘Knight’s Order’, a unit under the direct command of Saika-sama, and one of the magicians in this Garden that is ranked at the highest rank, S rank. For a destruction factor of that level, he alone should be more than enough.”

Kuroe spoke after Mushiki’s shocked line as she looked up at the sky.

“Under the direct command of Saika-san… Does that mean that, Saika-san is stronger than that guy?”

Kuroe answered Mushiki’s question nonchalantly. 

“So much so that even comparing them is absurd.”

“… Hee…”

After a short while of being taken aback, Mushiki shook his head in realization and directed his line of sight downwards.

“That’s right! The city is…”

And looking at the sea of flames into which the cityscape had transformed—Mushiki was at a loss.

“Eh…?”

The reason is simple. The city below them, which had been trampled over by bright red flames and had a storm of screams and bellows whirl in it just moments ago, was now back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

“Huh…? I’m certain that I saw the city going up in flames just now…”

“Yes. It was indeed so. It was no illusion or anything of the sort. The city was well and truly in a catastrophic state because of the dragon’s flames. Had the Knight Enviette not defeated that dragon, that scene which you saw would have been recorded into the world as the ‘outcome’.”

“Then that means that… Because the dragon was defeated, that scene was treated like it never happened?”

“Concisely put, that is how it works. The people who live outside of the Garden do not even remember what just happened.”

Kuroe casually answered.

Standing before all the hard-to-believe occurrences that were taking place one after another in front of his eyes, Mushiki could only stare in confusion.

But, before long, the words that Kuroe had spoken until then began to connect inside of his head.

“Could it be that these kinds of things happen quite frequently…?”

Kuroe nodded exaggeratedly and then stared straight at Mushiki’s eyes before continuing.

“—15165 times.”

“Eh?”

“It’s the number of times that magicians, starting with Saika-sama, have saved the world.”

“…! That many!?”

“Yes.
—This world has on average ‘One Destruction Crisis’ befalling it every 300 hours.”

“—”

The suddenly spoken words.

Mushiki continued to look at Kuroe with bewilderment in his eyes.

“It is not only dragons. A fruit that bestows the knowledge to create weapons that can destroy stars; abnormal spirit lines that can produce any and all kinds of cataclysms you can imagine at the same time; a swarm of golden locusts that devour everything they find; a deadly pandemic with an infection rate and a fatality rate unbelievably high; emissaries from the future that travel through time in order to change the story to their convenience; giants of flames that can cover the world in smoldering flames simply by existing—

We call all these existences that have the capacity to destroy the world by the term ‘destruction factors’.”

Kuroe added on.

“We magicians, by means of those miracle-like skills, continue to eliminate the destruction factors.

Also, in the past there have been 1 or 2 verified cases of destruction factors which only Saika-sama has been able to deal with. 

—Do you understand?

If Saika-sama had not been there, this world would have been destroyed at the very least 1 or 2 times.

The person with whom you have fused together is someone of that much value.”

Serenely, but with a certain zeal discernable in her manner, Kuroe told Mushiki about it.

Hearing such shocking information, Mushiki’s both hands started to quiver.

“I-I can’t believe it…”

While Mushiki whispered in disbelief, Kuroe closed her eyes and assented.

“Well, it’s no wonder that you find it so hard to accept. However, it is all t—”

“An average of 1 destruction crisis every 300 hours, and you have had over 15000 cases…? That means that, doing some simple math, you’ve been doing this over 500 years, right…? And yet, the resilience of her skin is in such pristine condition… Unbelievable…”

“…”

“Ouch! It hurts, Kuroe!”

Kuroe finally lifted her hand at Mushiki.

 To protect himself from Kuroe’s repeated hand strikes, Mushiki guarded his head with both hands.

That was when,

“…! Eh?”

All of a sudden, a flash of light fell to the ground like a meteor. The next moment, a single man had appeared and was standing before Mushiki and Kuroe.

“—Heey, Kuozaki. Ya watchin’ everythin’ from here? What a nice status ya got.”

Though slender, his body had well-toned muscles. A young man donning a tailor-made shirt and vest, along with slacks.”

Black hair done in braids and tanned skin. A pair of sharp eyes that seem to be glaring at their prey and a wild smile. That posture of his made one think of a fierce four-legged beast.

“You are…”

There’s no doubt about it. It’s the magician who vanquished a few moments ago.

As proof of that, two Vajra—a golden weapon in the form of 3 claws—that released the occasional flash of lightning floated slowly, coiling around his body.

Moreover, on his back there were two layers of giant rings of light shining in his back as if halos. That divine aura of his and the man’s wild appearance were strangely at odds with each other.

While Mushiki stared in awe, the man raised the corners of his mouth into a bold and fierce grin.

“Something up? You’re lookin’ like deer in the headlights there. —Oh! Are ya so shocked by my magic ya can’t even speak?”

The man shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was a joke.

In response to those words, Mushiki sincerely nods.

“—It was awesome. You’re the one who did that?”

“…Hah?”

The moment Mushiki spoke, the man was left agape as he uttered a single sound.

“To defeat that huge dragon… It was incredible. You must be a very strong mage… Are you not?”

“Ha…? What in hell are you sayin’…? Didja eat some weird stuff or somethin’…? Even yer speech’s weird…”

Flinching, the man bent slightly back.

However, as if belying those words of his, the man’s cheeks were tinged in vermilion.

“Not at all. I only called incredible what I thought to be incredible. Just how did you manage to do that?”

“Ho-how… you ask? Nothing much, it’s simply a second rank manifestation… Only, well… I fiddled with the spell a tiiny bit.”

“I see! The spell… I don’t really understand it yet, what kind of thing is that?”

“No way in hell I’m tellin’ ya! Who’d expose their secrets to ya!”

“Please don’t say that. Isn’t it fine? That awesome skill, I really wish to know how to use it.”

“… G-guess it can’t be helped… I’ll show ya a bit…”

Turning his head to the side, the man spoke as his mouth slowly curved into a grin.

Regardless of how scary his appearance may seem, he would appear to be a simple-minded young man.

“You’ll do it!? Thank you very much! Erm…”

“Hm?”

“Did you… mention your name before?”

“Ah.”

The moment Mushiki asked in a cheerful tone, Kuroe let out a short sigh.

All too much as if saying, ‘Not good’.

Immediately afterwards, as if in total response, the veins the man’s face, which had up to this moment been brighter than he himself would admit, started to pop out.

“… Fu, hmmm…? I see… So this means that the name of a small-fry like me doesn’t even deserve a space in a corner of your mind…”

“Eh? Ah, no, that’s not it. I simply forgot it for a moment…”

“Fine by me! I’ll just ‘ave to trash ya so bad ya won’t be forgettin’ the name Enviette Svarner anymoooore!!”

Enviette (right, that was his name), with his anger in full display, smashed the heel of his shoe on the rooftop’s floor.

With that point as the origin, lightning strikes of great power immediately scattered all around the area.

“…!?”

Lines of light stretched throughout the rooftop in the form of a spider’s web. Without knowing it, Mushiki’s body had frozen at the sight of it.

“Wai—! Please stop this!”

“Shut it! If yer gonna beg for yer life…”

“What will you do if you injure Saika’s face!?”

“…”

Hearing Mushiki’s yell, Enviette’s cheeks could be seen to be twitching for some reason.

“It’d seem there ain’t no need to hold back, huh…?”

Enviette lowered both his hands to his waist.

In response to that action, the two vajra that floated around him like satellites increased their speed as they were enveloped in electricity.

“Blow her away, <Vajdola>!”

No sooner had Enviette yelled that name than he thrust out both his hands and released his ultimate, strongest strike against Mushiki.

Mushiki’s view was filled in a blinding white light.

“—Uwah!?”

Swallowing his breath, Mushiki froze up in that same spot, as if pinned down to it.

“Mushiki-san!”

Kuroe’s anguish-filled scream was swallowed by the stentorian sound and eventually drowned out.

He was perfectly aware and understood he had to evade this. Notwithstanding, his body would not move.

Violence which was so overpowering that even reason submitted to it. Even someone like Mushiki, who knew nothing about magic and its world, could easily tell that this attack was a fatal one. In a few moments, Mushiki’s body will be shred to pieces by the golden raging lightning strike.

However…

“—”

What governed Mushiki’s mind in that instant was neither despair nor dread—it was a ‘hard to describe’ sense of discomfort.

—Even the lightning strike that should have exploded, ripping him to shreds suddenly felt oddly slow.

It was almost as if time’s flow itself had nearly stopped.

In this world, which was now playing in slow-motion, only he continued to run his thoughts at the same speed as always. That was the transcendental kind of image he was getting.

Could it be that this was the so-called near-death experience?

When on the brink of death, a human’s brain starts to function at a high speed, searching through all its past experiences, looking for a way to overcome the present situation. As a result, the passage of time is perceived as being relatively slower.

Having said that, no matter how much Mushiki’s brain rummaged, there weren’t any past experiences that could allow for this situation to be overtur—

(—There’s nothing to be afraid of. After all, you now possess the strongest body—)

“Eh…?”

At the sound of that unexpected voice inside of his head, Mushiki’s eyes went wide open.

It was so soft, so faint a voice, and yet it was too clear to think it was a hallucination.

He had not the slightest idea what that voice was.

Nonetheless, the instant he heard it, Mushiki was embraced by a mysterious sense of tranquility.

That voice was…

He had the feeling that it had been extremely similar to the voice that he heard before passing out yesterday, to the voice of the girl who was his first love.

(—As for the way to use the power, your body remembers it. All you need to do is entrust yourself to it—)

“—”

At the same time as he heard the voice, Mushiki raised both his hands forwards.

Not even he himself could understand properly why he did that. Nonetheless, he now had the reassurance that what he did was the correct course of action.

His body heated up, as if all the blood within his body had started to warm up.

The next moment, Mushiki’s line of sight, filled out with the lightning heading for him, was illuminated with a new light.

Iridescent shining rings of light had appeared above Mushiki’s head.

If you looked at each closely, they closely resembled the form of an angel’s halo.

However, some of the rings were joined together vertically—they looked almost like a witch’s hat.

“…! Four points…!?”

Kuroe’s awestruck voice could be heard from behind him.

At that instant, with Mushiki as the center, the space around him began to bend and warp…

The world was… transformed.

“Huh…”

No metaphor or simile would be enough to describe it.

There’s no doubt that up to that precise moment, Mushiki and Kuroe had been on the school building’s rooftop together with Enviette.

And yet, in the short time one takes to blink, the scenery around all three of them had undergone a complete transformation.

—To an azure sky which extended more than any one of them could tell.

No, not only that. Mushiki moved his eyes alone and saw both the ground and the skies.

On the ground, there was the vast landscape of the metropolis; in the skies, you could see the same view of the city, only upside-down.

It was a familiar, yet strange scene. The tip of the many buildings and radio towers were pointing from both directions at Mushiki and the others. That sight made one imagine the jaws of a giant monster.

At that moment, Enviette’s dismayed voice was heard.

“A fourth rank manifestation…!? Hey, you! Kuozaki! That’s dirty! This is strictly forbi—”

However, Enviette’s reproaching yells towards Mushiki were cut off there.

The reason is simple. The cityscapes that were far above and far below Enviette had started to rise, or maybe they began to fall, towards Enviette, just as if to bite him to pieces.

“—Creation of all things. Thus, heavens and earth reside in my palm.”

Though in a half-unconscious state, the words that came from Mushiki’s throat were clearly weaved together.

“Pledge your allegiance.

—And I’ll make you into a bride.”

Trying to put up some resistance, Enviette rose both arms to the sky, but the lightning he summoned was in vain, for it was simply dispersed.

“Guh…?! D, dammit aaaaaaall…!!”

Just as a paper boat is played around by the billowing waves, so too was the pitiable Enviette swallowed by the swarm of buildings.

Thunderous ear splitting sounds were heard as the skyscrapers, looking like sharp fangs, crumbled.

The world was losing its form.

Moments later, the scenery surrounding Mushiki and the others went back to the rooftop they had been at. The rings of light shining atop Mushiki’s head had at some point too disappeared.

If one had to mention a difference between then and now, it would probably only be that Enviette was now lying on the floor.

His shirt and slacks, which must have been of a high-quality, were now soiled and in tatters, almost all resemblance of them having been clothes gone. His hair was now besmirched, and many injuries and contusions of various different sizes could be seen on his body. Nonetheless, he appeared to barely hang on to life, for every now and then his arms and legs would twitch.

“What was that just now…?”

As Mushiki spoke in stupor, he turned his gaze to his hands and tried clenching and opening them a few times. The beautiful thin icefish-like fingers followed his will and moved.

—Not even he himself understood well what had just happened.

If there is one thing he could understand to a certain degree, it was that the mystical scene that had taken place right before his eyes had been brought about by his—by Saika’s power.

It was an indescribable feeling, one unlike any he had up-to-then experienced.

As if boiling blood circulated his body, there was a burning sensation from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.

Like a hot-air balloon being inflated, he felt his own existence being exalted.

Lastly—a feeling of omnipotence, as if he could fit the whole world into the palm of his hand.

That medley of sensations assaulted him all at once, leaving Mushiki in a daze for a while.

“Bas… tard…!”

“…!”

What pulled Mushiki’s consciousness back to reality was the hatred-filled voice of Enviette, who still lay face-down prostrated on the floor.

“Excuse me, are you okay…?”

In order to ascertain his state, Mushiki walked up to him and bent his knees to peek at his face. In response, Enviette weakly lifted his head and turned his bloodshot eyes towards Mushiki.

 “I-I’ll… remember this… I’ll … fuckin’ kill y—”

However, Enviette could not give voice to his words until the end.

For in that next instant, Kuroe appeared and firmly stepped on his face.

“Bugyah!”

Naturally, Enviette’s face was pressed against the hard rooftop’s floor. Even the legs and arms which had hitherto given the occasional twitch went now completely silent.

“…”

Notwithstanding, it would not seem that Kuroe did it to shut Enviette or deliver the finishing blow to him. Should one try a guess, you could even perceive that it had been nothing more than her carelessness, for she simply appeared to have walked forwards in order to stand before Mushiki and Enviette’s head had been naught more than in the middle of the way.

“Kuroe?”

Mushiki called her name in an inquiring intonation.

That face of hers that looked at him was the same expressionless countenance as always—except that, it seemed to have some traces of amazement she could not fully suppress and being tinged with excitement and zest.

“… I can’t believe it. Even if you have Saika-sama’s body, to suddenly invoke a fourth rank manifestation… But if this is the case…”

No sooner did Kuroe begin to mutter unintelligibly to herself than she returned her gaze to Mushiki.

“Mushiki-san.”

“Ye-yes!”

Mushiki, overpowered by the intense will residing in her eyes, nodded his head and Kuroe continued on.

“That you find yourself dragged into this situation is a most unfortunate accident. However, I ask this of you while being completely aware of that fact. Please, would you be so kind as to lend us your power and work with us…

—In order to save this world.”

In response to Kuroe’s words…

“Eh? That’s not possible…”

Mushiki gave an immediate response.

That couldn’t be helped. Mushiki is just a normal high school student. Even if you suddenly bring up the world, there’s not much he could do.

“…”

Hearing that, Kuroe began to have cold sweat run down her cheeks as she frowned.

“… Is this not the kind of situation where you go with the flow and accept?”

“Even if you say that…”

“…”

After a while of pondering over it in her mind, Kuroe once again spoke.

“If you cooperate with me, we may even find a way to separate you and Saika-sama. Afterwards, I shall introduce you, Mushiki-san, to Saika-sama anew, as the benefactor who came and helped us all in fulfilling our duties.”

“What do you wish for me to do? I was just feeling like I wanted to save the world.”

“…”

Kuroe could not help falling silent once again after Mushiki’s vigorous nod.

Soon after, she let out a sigh as if to convince herself.

“Very many different preparations are necessary. —First, we should go and deal with the troublesome ones.”

“Troublesome?”

Mushiki tilted his head and Kuroe assented with hers.

Approximately 30 minutes after the scuffle on the rooftop.

Mushiki was brought over to the inside the central school building and now stood before some huge doors.

“Kuroe, where is this?”

“It’s the conference room. Today is the regular briefing session of the management members of the Garden. —Under the present circumstances, I would prefer to ignore this reunion if possible. However, it is unthinkable for Saika-sama to be absent, so we have no other choice but to attend.”

Having answered Mushiki’s inquiry, Kuroe proceeds in the manner of a warning.

“The management team and the members of the ‘Knight’s Order’ should already be gathered inside the room. —I shall deal with them myself as best I can. I only ask Mushiki-san to try and speak the least you can.”

“Understood. We cannot allow Saika-san’s image to be sullied after all.”

“Well, yes, that.”

With an expression on her face that seemed to say, ‘That’s not the reason for it, but it seems more convenient to leave it at that…’, Kuroe knocked on the door and slowly opened it.

She then invited Mushiki to walk into the room.

Following her invitation, though somewhat nervous, Mushiki stepped into the conference room.

“Woah…”

The moment he entered the room, disregarding the warning to speak the least he could, Mushiki let out a small voice of amazement.

However, little could be done about that. Despite there already being around 10 people in the conference room, the moment he entered, all of them stood to attention simultaneously, in order to welcome Mushiki into the room.

“—Saika-sama. Please, your seat.”

Kuroe encouraged Mushiki to take his seat after he stood dumbfounded for a few moments.

A most sensible action for he could most certainly not remain standing stock-still. With awkward footsteps, Mushiki walked to the table and with small movements, sat on an open seat.

Immediately after, for some reason, the many members of the management who were standing started to look at each other in perplexity.

“W-Witch-sama…?”

“Is something the matter…?”

“Eh…?”

As Mushiki stared, tilting his head, Kuroe began to make small quick motions… walked over to him and whispered to his ear.

“—Saika-sama’s seat is that one over there.”

Saying that, she pointed to the innermost seat in the room.

It was at the edge of the table. In other words, it was the VIP’s seat. —Well, with the portentous atmosphere of the place, more than the guest of honor’s seat, it felt like the seat of the boss of some evil organization.

“Ah…”

With that small sound, Mushiki walked over to it in a hurry and reseated himself.

Having done so, the other people present too began to take their seats.

“…”

With a strange feeling of nervousness assailing him, Mushiki turned to look at all the members seated around the table.

In doing so, he furrowed slightly his brows. While the majority of them were wearing close-fitting suits, among them there were two people who stuck up like a sore thumb. 

One of them was a girl who looked in her early 10s. Her thick eyebrows and cheeks colored a soft red served only to make her already childish visage seem even younger. She wore a long white coat, but for some reason, below it, she wore nothing more than some short tights and a bandeau which seemed like taken out of a tribe’s traditional clothing. It was a daring style, almost the same as being on her underwear alone. It was an appearance that had many mismatching points to it.

“… Kuroe, who is that girl?”

Mushiki asked in a small voice and Kuroe, who was standing behind him, answered in a small whisper-like voice.

“—Knight Erulka Flaera. She may look very young; however, after Saika-sama, she is the longest-serving magician here at the Garden.”

“Oohh…”

As they say, you can’t judge a person on their looks alone. Mushiki let out a voice showing amazement.

He next turned his eyes to the girl sitting directly in front him.

Though not as much as Erulka, she too seemed to be young in years. One could surmise her to be 16 or 17 years old. As if to support that claim, her body was clad in the same uniform as the students’.

Her long hair tied into pigtails and two almond-shaped eyes. Thin and defined lips that appeared to express her strong determination…

At that point, Mushiki stopped thinking and squinted.

That face of hers, he felt as if he had seen her before.

“… It couldn’t be… Ruri?”

“—Yes? Do you need something, Witch-sama?”

At Mushiki’s soft small whisper, the girl—Ruri—tilted her head as she responded. One could see an overflowing elation shining in her eyes at having been called by her name by Saika.

“Ah… No…”

He had not intended to initiate a conversation with her, but it would seem she had overheard him. Mushiki mumbled his words.

With but a glance, he could easily tell that Kuroe was looking at him with doubting eyes.

Yet again, it was hard not to do so. For Mushiki had, out of nowhere, called the name of a girl he was supposed to not know.

Then.

“…!”

Just as Mushiki was thinking how he could beguile them, the doors to the conference room were thrown wide open in a frenzy.

Afterwards, a man with his whole body covered in bandages walked inside with staggering steps.

At the beginning he did not know who it was, but after they stared daggers at him, Mushiki finally recognized them. —It was the knight who had just a few moments ago charged at him, Enviette Schvarner.

Seeing Enviette like that, the many members of the management team stared with wide eyes.

“S-Svarner-dono! Those injuries…!?”

“It couldn’t be… They’re from his fight with the destruction factor from back then!?”

“Impossible! For the S-rank Magician Enviette to end up like this!?”

As if to silence the commotion generated by the panicked management members, Enviette clicked his tongue.

“… Shut the fuck up. Ain’t no way I’d ever lose to that shitty weakling!”

“Th-then, about those wounds…”

A man with glasses inquired, to which Enviette once again glared at Mushiki with eyes filled with hatred.

Seeing that, every one of the management members let out a sigh of surprise.

“So that was it… It was Witch-sama.”

“If it was Witch-sama, there’s nothing to worry about then.”

“Great work surviving that, Enviette-san.”

“Don’t be so quick to accept it, you bastards!”

As Enviette yelled in a foul mood, he roughly grabbed the seat next to Erulka and sat on it.

His body must have ached at that moment because he grimaced slightly… However, he must not have wanted others to know it since he didn’t make a single sound even as his body trembled.

“You are late, Enviette. What do you have to say, having made Witch-sama wait?”

“… Shut it. Be glad that I came.”

To Ruri’s warning, Enviette answered with a snort.

After shaking her head in exasperation, Ruri turned her gaze around the table, looking at all the members present.

“—Moving on. It would seem everyone is present now, so let us begin this briefing session. I shall be the first to report.”

As soon as she said that, Ruri fiddled with the terminal in her hands. The next moment, the documents files were being displayed in the very center of the elliptical table.

“—The number of occurrences of destruction factors since the last briefing was two: number 511, ‘Leprechaun’; and number 205, ‘Dragon’. Both were successfully annihilated within their windows for reversible annihilation. Injuries sustained by our magicians were…”

With a clear loud voice, she continued to lead the briefing session and other things.

Even if he didn’t really understand, it wouldn’t be a good idea for him to make a bored face. As such, taking care not to let his sitting posture get the slightest bit sloppy, Mushiki occasionally nodded as he listened to Ruri talking.

After that, following Ruri’s example, some other members proceeded to give their reports.

“—Thank you very much. Is there someone else who has anything to report?”

It was approximately 40 minutes into the meeting. Everyone having finished presenting their reports, Ruri looked at everyone as she spoke.

Everyone responded by remaining silent. Sensing that atmosphere, Ruri gave a small nod.

“In that case…”

However, at that moment, Kuroe, who had been standing in wait behind Mushiki, took a step forward.

“—Pardon me. Would you be so kind as to allow me to make an announcement?”

“And you are?”

“I apologize for my late introduction. I am the chamberlain of Saika-sama, Karasuma Kuroe. I have accompanied Saika-sama due to her being in poor health this day.”

“Eh?!”

Hearing those words, Ruri spoke in a high-pitched voice.

“In poor health, you say… I-is she okay!?”

“Yes. There is no need to worry. Isn’t that so, Saika-sama?”

“Eh? Ah, yes, that’s how it is.”

Kuroe sent him a look that told him to play along, to which Mushiki nodded in affirmation.

 “So? What did you want to say?”

Erulka, chin in her hands, spoke.

To those words, Kuroe assented her head and then moved her lips.

“—Yesterday, Saika-sama was assailed by some unknown person. Though it is believed that they were a magician, she was not able to ascertain their appearance. It is still possible for them to try and attack Saika-sama again. Therefore, I would like to request that we strengthen our security net.”

““…?!””

The faces of everyone present stiffened at Kuroe’s report.

“Wha—Witch-sama was… Attacked!?”

“And they managed to get away with their identity remaining a secret…!?”

“I don’t believe it! That is just…!”

The various members of the management could be clearly seen in a panic.

Moreover, the same too could be said about Mushiki. Lowering his voice so as not to be heard, he spoke to Kuroe.

“… Kuroe, is it really okay to tell them that?”

“—There shouldn’t be any problems so long as they aren’t made aware of Saika-sama’s present state. Rather, scaring them this much should lead them to being even more alert from now on.”

Looking in turn at the flustered members, Kuroe relayed to him in a composed tone. Mushiki simply nodded in understanding. Thinking it over, leaving everything a secret would have led to the opportunity for the enemy to endeavor in another ambush against the now vulnerable Mushiki.

“Kuh… Haha! Ahahahaha!”

In the midst of all the turmoil brought upon by everyone present, one single person’s laughing voice resounded. —It was Enviette’s.

“Ya say an enemy attacked ya and ye let ‘em go without even managing to find out their identity? Heh, disgraceful! Ain’t this mean even our Witch-sama’s started to go senile?”

He shrugged deliberately as he spoke.

At that, Ruri, who had been looking over at Mushiki with concern in her eyes, sent a hateful glare at Enviette.

“Oh my! Those are some big words you’re saying there, Enviette. One could hardly believe they are words coming from someone with as splendid a record number of losses against Witch-sama as yours.”

“Aaah…?”

Twitching an eyebrow, Enviette glared back at Ruri.

Not giving it a single thought, Ruri continued as if to fan the flames even more.

“It couldn’t be that this mysterious assailant is you, could it? Did you finally realize you’re no match for Witch-sama in a frontal attack and so decided to attempt a sneak attack?”

“Haaaahh!!? You bitch, how dare you…”

“Aahh, my apologies. I did go too far in my words right now. There’s no way that you could be the assailant. —For if that had been the case, you would’ve had the tables turned on you in an instant.”

“Yer dead, bitch!”

“Bring it o…”

Enviette and Ruri stood up from their chairs with such impetus that their chairs nearly flew from the recoil.

Instantly, the air around them was filled with tension and the soft light that surrounded the room started to whirl and bend, centered around the two.

However…

“Silence! Resolve it elsewhere.”

Noticeably irritated, Erulka, who was seated between Enviette and Ruri, reprimanded them and, with the sleeves of her lab coat, she slapped both of their faces.

“Ngh…”

“… Erulka-sama.”

Both of them appeared to have yet to fully settle down but, though reluctantly, they returned to their seats. The management members that were seated across all released a sigh of relief.

“Very well then. I shall deal with the remainder of the session. —Moving back, is that all you wished to report?”

Erulka turned her eyes at Kuroe as she asked.

In cue, Kuroe continued her report in a subdued tone.

“Taking this occurrence as an opportunity, Saika-sama herself proposed a plan.”

“Heeh? What was it? Relay it to us.”

“Will do. —Firstly, for the present time, Saika-sama will not partake in dealing with destruction factors of rank lower than annihilation. She too wishes to reduce the frequency of these regular meetings.”

“Hmm… Not that I care, but may I inquire about the reason? You wouldn’t mean to say that she sustained injuries as a consequence of the attack, would you?”

Erulka looks straight at Mushiki’s eyes.

Under the gaze of those eyes that seemed to look straight through him, Mushiki could feel his heart rate increase.

However, in the most serene demeanor imaginable, Kuroe shook her head to the sides.

“That is most outrageous. Regardless of who the opponent may be, for Saika-sama to suffer any kind of injury in a fight is unthinkable.”

“I’m well aware. ‘Twas but a light joke. —And then, the reason?”

“Saika-sama said that she had other matters to attend to.”

“Other matters?”

Erulka tilted her head quizzically.

Following a great nod with her head, Kuroe spoke as such.

“Yes. Starting tomorrow, Saika-sama will—attend this institute in the quality of a student.”

““… Huh?””

All people present in the room, Mushiki included, let out a dumbstruck voice at Kuroe’s words.